The practice of acupuncture relies upon the application of a mechanical and/or electrical stimulus at a highly localized region of a patient's skin. Acupuncture is carried out by trained practitioners who direct stimuli to specific areas, and it is generally practiced in an acute manner, meaning that therapy is applied by the practitioner for the duration of a session, after which it is terminated.
It has been postulated that the ability to deliver acupuncture chronically and continuously, that is for periods of hours, days or weeks, could improve the outcomes for the practice of acupuncture.
Current methods, which employ needles placed by a practitioner to stimulate acupuncture points, and through which (optionally) an electrical current is applied, are not practical for long term use since the needles interfere with normal clothing and pose a hazard for injury if left in place outside of the acupuncture session. In addition, current methods for stimulating acupuncture points do not allow for periodic, intermittent or otherwise controlled stimuli over long durations. An acupuncture needle introduced in the skin, for example, continuously stimulates a response for as long as it is in place. Electrical stimulation, when applied, must be controlled by some device connected to the recipient, which necessitates a wired connection between recipient and some external electronics, as well as intervention from an operator or practitioner if stimulation conditions (i.e. current on/off, or current intensity) are to be varied.
Acupuncture applied in a controlled and chronic basis may have applications to treating a wide variety of disorders including depression and anxiety, musculoskeletal pain, drug and alcohol addiction, menstrual cramping, and other causes of pain. In addition such a system may be useful for inducing or terminating a pregnancy.
There is a need for systems and methods that address shortcomings in the art. Specifically, it is desirable to provide stimuli to one or more acupuncture points for long periods of time, spanning hours or days. During such long-term treatment, it would be desirable to control or manipulate the duty cycle, intensity, waveform, frequency, and other stimulation parameters automatically during the application of the stimuli. Accordingly, a device for providing such therapy should be small (i.e. thin and occupy a small area), fully autonomous (i.e. not connected or wired to other units or components) and capable of operating autonomously for days or weeks without any operator intervention. The device should also contain a practical, compact and integrated device for providing highly localized stimulation to the acupuncture point.
The invention provides improved elements and arrangements thereof, for the purposes described, which are inexpensive, dependable and effective in accomplishing intended purposes of the invention.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, which refers to the accompanying drawings.